Art for resilience + upcoming show dates
Hello friends!
I hope you all are well and remaining safe as we head into fall. This is my favorite time of the year.
Though we find ourselves in horrifyingly turbulant times, I want to offer what I can in terms of gentle hope and respite today.
As I write this, grass roots groups through out the city of Chicago are ferociously organizing against the onslaut of fascism by the federal government. Every day we wake up is another chance to try to make one aspect of our world just a little better. If you're like me and don't find yourself on the frontlines of action, please do what you can to support the people in your life who are. Even if it's just giving a little extra help to a coworker you think might b going through something off the job, grace and compassion are essential. It's too wild out here for any of us to do it alone.
Lots of original music in September and October
The current moment has brought my creative energies to a high level of focus and productivity. While I don't think great art requires suffering--I actually think the main thing it requires is time and space to contemplate--something about the now is screaming, "If there's something you want to do, you better get to it!"
The new music I'm working on isn't really political or even necessarily confrontational on the surface. In some ways, one could say it's more artsy-fartsy than my earlier work--especially the explicitly disability-related stuff. I'm really diving into my own sound world and leaving behind a lot of expectations for what a jazz or dance record sounds like.
However, the ethos with which I'm creating this art and the manner in which I hope to share it are deeply political in a subtle way. I'm taking my vast experience holding social space via music and channeling them into sonic stories that grow with the presence and input of everyone who hears them. Every gig from the most corporate entertainment function to the tiniest intimate living room concert has given me tremendous insight into how music speaks to people.
Having witnessed how many ways music is presented and experienced, I've developed a vision for the spaces I want to create with my music. While audience sizes may very, my goal is to offer a sense of adventure full of twists and turns, all resulting in a feeling of triumph--or at least belief in the potential for triumph. Whether in person or recorded on record, it's the Calculated Discomfort way . If I can leave at least one person more curious about sound and / or the world than they were before hearing my music, I'd say my work here has been successful. To me this feels radical in an era of generative AI and sensationalized one-sided content.
Last Sunday jazz at Artifact Records
A big part of this goal is presenting music in spaces that feel warm and approachable.
With that in mind, I'm excited to announce that I'll be presenting my group every last Sunday of the month at Artifact Records in Logan Square from 2-4pm.
The first event last month was so nice that I had to keep it going, and working with the store owner John has been tremendous in terms of setting up a welcoming space.
I hope to catch you at one of these.
- Last Sunday Jazz at Artifact Records
- 3423 W Fullerton Ave
- Sept. 28
- Oct 26
- Additional dates to be confirmed
The Wrong Trio continues at Jacquelines
In a very different yet complimentary way, the Wrong Trio's continued monthly performances at Jacquelines in Lakeview also feels like an important part of keeping the music urgent, approachable and accessible.
While it's not technically my band, the Wrong Trio is a great vehicle for expression. Beau Barry (compositions and saxophone), Lyn Rye (bass) and I dive deeper into our own sonic adventure each month in what some musicians might consider a very pedestrian environment. It's a great bar gig in that we get to play creative music in a place one might assume would be a better fit for beer and sports alone, and get to share an honest appreciation for the moment with our fluctuating audience. You don't get people's undivided attention, but you frequently get to share a moment of surprise and delight when someone hears something they never imagined, enjoys it, and puts their spirit back into the music via encouragement, which of course further deepens the music being made. That feeling is hard to beat.
Come check us out sometime. We play one Friday a month from 10pm-1am!
- The Wrong Trio at Jacquelines
- 3420 N Broadway
- One Friday a month from 10p-1a
- Sept. 19
- Oct. 24
- Additional dates to be announced!